Black Friday

Well, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and a day full of great food, family, & football. We certainly had a nice relaxing day and while I definitely missed being at my grandma's house with over 30 people and wonderful food, it was great to just relax and enjoy some time with the in-laws. Holidays are definitely tough whenever you first get married, and I'm assuming they really don't get much easier...especially when one family lives far away from another. Oh well, soon my in-laws will be moving back home to Missouri and we won't have this long distance issue to deal with. At least then I won't be 12 hours away from my family on Thanksgiving.

So we're certainly not get up in the middle of the night, sit in the parking lot until doors open, and race inside for a special gift kind of Black Friday shoppers. However, growing up we always ended up at the mall during the later afternoon hours when all of the crazies had left for the day. We normally still got some pretty good deals and it was always nice to get out of the house for awhile. Today will be no different. We're headed to one of my favorite malls up here in Michigan and hopefully Hubby & I will be able to get some Christmas shopping accomplished. I'll probably even ditch him for awhile to get some of his presents taken care of. This evening we're headed to the Fox Theatre in Detroit to see the musical White Christmas...I'm really excited and it should be a great day! Tomorrow is our last day here and we'll probably spend most of our time just relaxing and putting up Christmas decorations! I just love decorating for Christmas!

So very thankful...

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and dear Hubby and I have made it to the in-laws in Michigan. It will be a quiet Thanksgiving here with only the four of us but I'm so thankful for the time with them. As I've mentioned before I truly couldn't ask for better in-laws. As Thanksgiving is tomorrow, I am reminded of how truly blessed I am and how much I don't deserve all the blessings and grace that God pours out on me each and every day. I am so thankful for the wonderful family he has given me and how they inspire me to live for God and His glory every moment. I won't have much time to blog but I'm looking forward to catching up on all the stories when we return home on Sunday evening. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

From Mr. to Mute

Yes, it's true I am offically mute...or at least that's what I call it when the only thing that comes out of mouth is either a whisper or a squeak. Dear hubby seems to think this is quite hilarious, but it's extremely frustrating and not much fun for me. Hopefully I start to get my voice back by tomorrow or it will be a long drive to Michigan for Hubby as he has to drive all that way with only the radio for noise.

Just call me Mr.

Well, the weekend was jam-packed as promised and we certainly got lots of things accomplished...however, one thing did not happen. I still have the ucky feeling...yes, that's right...I'm still feeling not quite up to par and on top of that I am now talking in a voice that comes close to resembling that of an old man who has smoked his entire life (complete with the occasional smoker's hack and everything). Oh what a joy! I do have to give my dear hubby credit, he was a great nurse over the weekend and he tried his hardest to make me relax...unfortunately our schedule just didn't allow for much relaxation.

Friday night we were able to spend the evening at home. I finished up some of the Christmas decor and put up a little tree in our bedroom. Then it was off to bed fairly early. Saturday morning we spent time doing some little things around the house, I ran to the grocery store, and after lunch I helped Hubby finish putting the Christmas lights up outside...they are going to look so good! However, they won't be turned on until after we get home on Sunday night. We then headed into town and took care of a few quick Christmas presents (mainly gift cards for the family gatherings that do gift card exchanges). This basically works the same way as a White Elephant Exchange but you at least get something worth having. We were able to accomplish our purchases by using a nice little Chinese Fire Drill method instead of fighting the crowds and the parking lots. Pull up in front, someone jumps out, circle the parking lot, pick you up...on to the next store. It was fantastic. Saturday night we had dinner at this fantastic little pizza joint that cuts the pizza into little 2x2 squares...it was great. Then it was off to the first Missouri State University Basketball game of the season. MSU is my alma mater and they were celebrating the first game in a brand new $67 million arena...it was unbelieveable. The Bears also won which was a bonus!

Sunday morning we headed to church with my parents and enjoyed a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner with my parents, brother & sister-in-law, and both sets of grandparents. We had tons of food and we also made some fantastic crafts that I'll be sure to post pictures of later on. Small Group was next and then we finally made it home for good around 7:15...it's about this time that I began the manly voice. Hubby forced me to sit down and relax and then I headed to bed at 9:30. Whew! What a weekend...I'm offically at work and sounding completely like a man, at least I don't feel just awful. Tonight I'll be packing because we're headed to Michigan for Thanksgiving to visit Hubby's parents. I'm so excited to get away for a bit even though it is an 11 hour drive!!! Hope everyone enjoys the short week!

Ucky, Ucky Feeling

Well it's official, Hubby and a lady in my office have officially passed on their lovely sickness to me. Yesterday I woke up and felt great and by about 9:30 am I was ready to go home. However, I was only working until 3 yesterday because I had an appt to get my hair cut/foiled. I was so super excited and of course I end up feeling very ucky. Needless to say it was not the greatest day; however, I was able to get my hair done which allowed me to sit and think about absolutely nothing for about 2 1/2 hours. I headed home afterwards, put on my comfy clothes and fell asleep on the couch about 8:00. When dear, sweet Hubby came to check on me, my entire body had started to ache so all I asked for was a nice warm bubble bath. Being the good nurse that he is, he took excellent care for me and after I got out of the bath he ordered me to bed at 9:00. I slept soundly until this morning and I'm happy to report that while I don't feel 100%, I'm at least feeling better than I was yesterday. I don't know about you guys, but I really don't have time to get sick. We've got tons of things to do before we leave for Thanksgiving on Tuesday evening and I just don't have time to lay around on the couch with a blanket pulled up to my ears. Hopefully this was just a short ucky feeling...at least I hope so! Hope everyone has a great weekend, we've got tons of plans and I'll fill you in after we've survived...

Mom Day's

Well, I've mentioned before that I work for my dad and it certainly has it's perks. Mom Day's are one of those perks. You're probably asking...What are Mom Days? Well, you see all the other ladies in our office have children and most of the time he allows them to take off work early to go to sporting events or other school activities, take them to the doctor, or whatever they need. Normally this is taken as vacation, but other times it's just comp time. So...since Hubby & I don't have any children, my mom declared that I get some Mom Day's throughout the year to go run around with her or do fun things. A fantastic perk if you ask me!

My mom and I truly are best friends, and I can't imagine not talking to her everyday and bouncing ideas off her. We spend so much time together and while there are certainly times where we might disagree or not get along perfectly, she's my mom--I'm her little girl and those things will never change. Growing up she lifted me up in so many ways, taught me to love Jesus and trust in Him, and supported me in whatever my heart desired. Other girls would talk about how their mother's just didn't understand them or they never bought the right thing and they disagreed about almost everything in life...I never, ever experienced this. Those few times where I thought she was a crazy woman have now become some of the times I treasure most because she truly was just trying to protect me and make me into the woman I am today. They say you become your mother as you continue to grow up and I cherish the thought that someday I will become like the mother, wife, daughter, friend, and child of God that she has been. She is an amazing woman of God and how I wish everyone could experience the motherly love that I enjoy each and every day. Don't ever hesitate to tell your mom how much you love her...I know I don't do it often enough, but just pick up the phone and let her know--I'm sure she never gets tired of hearing it.

So, back to the title of this post. Yesterday was a Mom Day. I took off work and we headed to this fantastic little floral/ home decor shop called The Feathered Nest. They host Christmas workshops & decorating classes each year and we always come away with some sort of neat idea. The class ran from 9-1 and included a little lunch. After class, we headed to Hobby Lobby, Martin's Floral, and other places to finish off our decorating for the Holiday season. We had a great time and just loved hanging out. I came home last night completely refreshed and excited about finishing my Christmas Decor. Well, I didn't quite finish but I'm getting much closer. I love Mom Day's (possibly the best perk of working for my dad!)

Deck the Halls

Well...since Hubby & I will be out of town most all next week for Thanksgiving & I have various other plans for the other nights this week...tonight is the night. After a quick dinner, Hubby will be traipsing up and down the ladder into the attic and bringing out all of our Christmas decorations. I will quickly admit it...I am obsessed with Christmas decorations. Not so much everywhere in our house, but our kitchen, dining room, and living room for sure. We always get a real tree so our tree won't be up for awhile but hopefully after tonight my Halls will certainly be Decked. ;o) I love Christmas and there's no better way to get in the spirit than to decorate. Stay tuned, I'll post pictures when it's complete!